Ironhand's Daughter: A Novel of the Hawk Queen [Mass Market Paperback]

David Gemmell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 23, 2004

The armies of the Outlanders crushed the highlanders at the battle of Colden Moor–killing their finest warriors and breaking their freeborn spirit. The highlanders are now a conquered people, ruled by the brutal Baron Gottasson.
Prophecies speak of the coming of a new leader, a descendent of Ironhand, mightiest of the highland kings. A leader who will throw off the Outlander yoke. But only one highlander carries the blood of Ironhand: Sigarni, a wild and willful teenage girl who cares for nothing save her own concerns. Until a fateful encounter thrusts her onto a path of rebellion. Now, hunted by the baron’s soldiers and stalked by an evil sorcerer, Sigarni will be forced to fulfill her destiny . . . or perish.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Gemmell] does high adventure as it ought to be done."
–GREG KEYES, author of The Charnel Prince

“For anyone who appreciates superior heroic fantasy, David Gemmell’s offerings are mandatory.”
–Time Out London

“Gemmell’s great reading; the action never lets up.”
–ANNE MCCAFFREY

About the Author

DAVID GEMMELL was born in London, England, in the summer of 1948. Expelled from school at sixteen, he became a bouncer, working nightclubs in Soho. Born with a silver tongue, Gemmell rarely needed to bounce customers, relying on his gift of gab to talk his way out of trouble. This talent eventually led to a job as freelancer for the London Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, and Daily Express. His first novel, Legend, was published in 1984 and has remained in print ever since. He became a full-time writer in 1986. His books consistently top the London Times bestseller list.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (November 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345458389
• ISBN-13: 978-0345458384
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #490,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Gemmell was born in London, England, in the summer of 1948. Expelled from school at sixteen, he became a bouncer, working nightclubs in Soho. Born with a silver tongue, Gemmell rarely needed to bounce customers, relying instead on his gift of gab to talk his way out of trouble. This talent eventually led him to jobs as a freelancer for the London Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Express. His first novel, Legend, was published in 1984 and has remained in print ever since. He became a full-time writer in 1986. His books consistently top the London Times bestseller list.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lady of ice and steel..., August 3, 2006

By 

Mason Sorgdrager "Mace" (Albury, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ironhand's Daughter: A Novel of the Hawk Queen (Mass Market Paperback)

I consider this book special within the library of David Gemmell novels. One thing (rather obviously) that makes it special is the fact that the main character is a woman. This is not to say that David Gemmell does not have strong, female characters in his other novels. He does. And plenty of them. However, Sigarni IS Ironhand's Daughter, she is not just a character that other heroes meet as part of their travels.
Sigarni, like most great Gemmell characters, is a flawed character. Initially, she can appear arrogant and rather uncaring. It is hard to develop any sympathy for her (that comes later). Strangley, some of the male characters about her are more easy to sympathise with, particularly her brave, loyal dwarf friend.
It is not until something life-changing and horrific happens that one is completely swept into Sigarni's world. These early pages of the novel remind me a lot of the first third of the movie Braveheart, not only because the people are highlanders, but also the arrogance of the overlords and the apparently insurmountable odds stacked agaisnt our champion. But it does not end there, that is only the beginning. Sigarni also has to battle the prejudices of her own people, and the darkness in her own heart in order to achieve the destiny she finds herself thrust towards.
There are some usual Gemmell plot tools in the book, including gates to other worlds, dimensional time travel, near-immortal wise-men, demon conjuring evil sorcerors, etc., but none of these are the main focus of the book and they only add to the complexity and enjoyability of the main storyline.
I don't want to ruin the book for anyone else, so I will leave my descriptions there.
Read this especially if the female characters in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time novels really, really irritate you. This will refresh you and give you an appreciation of truly strong, well-rounded female fantasy characters.

4.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 Stars, March 5, 2006

By 

Ron (Jersey) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Ironhand's Daughter: A Novel of the Hawk Queen (Mass Market Paperback)

While this is written well in the typical Gemmell style, this is not up to Legend or any of his other classic novels. The first book in a duology with the sequel being The Hawk Eternal. This is actually an older work by Mr. Gemmell, having been published in the U.K. back in 1995. It covers a lot of familiar ground, so if you are a fan of Gemmell, there will be nothing extremely new for you aside from having a female as the lead character. The story involves the conquered highlands people, who resemble the ancient Scottish peoples and the conquerers who are vaguely Roman. The story has the usual fighting, a smattering of magic, prophecies and alternate worlds all thrown into 347 pages. The only real disappointment with the book is the final battle. I always love the great big battles of Gemmell's stories. This one however was wrapped up really quickly and it was not as enjoyable as others. On the plus side, Gemmell does turn Sigarni from an unlikebale character at the start of the book to one you can feel genuine compassion for by the end. I will pick up the second book to see how all the pieces fall into place. If you are new to Gemmell, don't start with this one.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If I read one more "eye" reference....errrr, February 25, 2005

By 

Robert Filipczak "Retired Navy Corpsman" (Iron Mountain MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ironhand's Daughter: A Novel of the Hawk Queen (Mass Market Paperback)

I have to admit, I did enjoy reading this book, but the constant eye injuries...well...seems that Gemmell's world could use an OSHA standard for eye protection. Eye riped out by hawk...eye slashed by sword...arrow in the eye...Ay Yi Yi.

I was disappointed in the ending...not in the deaths but in the battle discriptions. 300+ pages leading up to the big battle, and 5 pages of the actual fight. I've read details of barroom brawls with more detail.

Hey...if your looking for a fun little romping read to curl up and relax with...enjoy, just don't expect a classic.